Crunchy Granola Bars: Homemade Style
I’m always looking for snacks that I can make quickly that my little ones will enjoy. It seems like store bought snacks are so expensive and if your kids eat as much as mine do (no idea how I’m going to feed them when they are teenagers…you should see how much food the one year old can put away!) you are looking out for homemade snacks too!
I used to love those crunchy pre-packaged granola bars back when I still ate that kind of thing, but since I discovered my allergies those have disappeared from my pantry. However, this recipe is a great alternative and is super easy and fairly inexpensive to make!
Crunchy Granola Bars
What You Need:
- 1/3 cup Coconut Oil (use extra virgin if you don’t mind coconut flavor, otherwise go with expeller pressed)
- 1/2 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
- 1/2 cup shredded Coconut
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- Pinch of Salt
- 2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
Start by melting the coconut oil in a medium sized bowl. If your house is warm you may be able to skip this step. 🙂
Add in the sugar, maple syrup, and vanilla extract. Stir until combined as well as possibly with the oil.
Add in the coconut and oats and stir until everything is coated with the oil mixture.
Place a piece of parchment paper into a 9×13 baking dish. Spread the granola mixture into the pan and press the mixture down to pack it as firmly as possible.
Bake the mixture at 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes or until it looks browned and slightly bubbly. Remove from the oven and let the bars cool. After the bars have cooled you can cut into pieces. Not all pieces may be perfect since these are the crunchy kind they are a bit hard to cut. They still taste the same, I promise!
Store these in the fridge or on the countertop in an air tight container. Eat within a week or two of baking.
Looking for some similar treats? These might catch your eye:
What are some of your kids favorite snacks that you make?
Cassie says
September 28, 2015 at 9:22 amThis is exactly the kind of recipe I have been looking for! Thank you!
Jess says
September 28, 2015 at 9:56 pmI need to pin this my kids love the store bought kind. They are so expensive though and filled with who knows what!
diane @smartmoneysimplelife says
October 2, 2015 at 5:57 pmThese bars look and sound awesome. Definitely on the baking schedule this weekend. Plus, everything I need is already in the pantry.
And… Pinned for reference!
Ashton Gass says
October 4, 2015 at 2:54 pmHey, these taste wonderful but how do I get them to stick together in bars? Mine broke all to pieces when i cut them and took them out of the pan.
Jessica says
October 5, 2015 at 5:43 amI have everything on hand! I think I’ll make these today!
Gill says
October 5, 2015 at 11:26 amThese look yummy – pinning now in order to try it out when I get a minute – thanks for sharing 🙂
Jessica says
October 7, 2015 at 3:06 pmOh My Goodness!!! these taste Amazing!!!! It’s all I can do not to eat the entire pan!
Margaret says
February 10, 2017 at 2:18 pmGreat recipe, thanks so much! I used a pizza cutter and pressure to cut up the batch.
Hiby says
September 12, 2018 at 1:42 pmSounds easy enough and I’ve most of the ingredients… would want to try it out!
Thanks for the great recipe!
Merissa says
September 12, 2018 at 2:24 pmI hope you enjoy them!